Nonslip ratcheting wrench having double-hexagon-spaced jaw-face grooves



NOV. 25, 1952 T OG N 2,618,996

NONSLIP RATCHETING WRENCH HAVING DOUBLE-HEXAGON-SPACED JAW-FACE GROOVES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 1, 1946 Nov. 25, 1952 G. T. LOGAN 2,618, 6

NONSLIP RATCHETING NCI-I HAVI DOUBLE-HEXAGON-SPACED FACE GRO Filed Aug. 1, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 25, 1952 G. T. LOGAN 2,618,996

NONSLIP RATCHETING WRENCH HAVING DOUBLE-HEXAGON-SPACED JAW-FACE GROOVES Filed Aug. 1, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Nov. 25, 1952 NONSLIP RATCHETING WRENCH HAVING DOUBLE-HEXAGON-SPACED JAW-FACE GROOVES George T. Logan, New Hope, Pa.

Application August 1, 1946, Serial No. 687,591

My invention relates to mechanicstools, and particularly to hand wrenches intended for use in inaccessible locations, and also on tubing nuts which require an open end type of wrench.

Conventional open-end and/or ratcheting wrenches are unsatisfactory in many locations on the modern airplane and automobile because the installation renders the bolt or nut practically inaccessible. Not only is the space available for turning a wrench extremely limited, but the clearance necessary to *engage the jaws of a wrench around the nut or bolt head is likewise limited, particularly on aircraft starters, generators, and the like.

The design of these parts prohibits the use of the ordinary socket wrench because the bolts or studs are recessed in the starter housin and the are through which an ordinary 7 open-end wrench can be turned in such a location is so limited that the wrench must be reversed every time the nut is moved even an eighth of a turn or less. This condition alone has resulted in a great loss of time in servicing aircraft engines, an operation which under present conditions must be done with the greatest dispatch and;

efiiciency.

Furthermore, the ordinary open-end wrench having fixed jaws depends entirely upon the shape of the nut or bolt head for its turning action since the wrench has no gripping function. 'Ifthe nut becomes worn or is slightly undersize, such a wrench is useless. My invention contemplates a wrench construction having jaws which grip the nut securely even though undersize or worn and inaddition does not require removal and reversing.

In addition to the above advantages, I have found that many installations where tubing is used, for example in the refrigeration industry, require a special type of wrench to install the tube nuts. Such a wrench, when used on an assembly line in the mass production of refrigeration units or similar devices, must be capable of being inserted quickly around the tube nut and of quickly tightening the nut without slipping. By shortening such an operation only a few seconds on each installation, increased productive capacity amounting to a saving of thousands of dollars may be achieved.

An object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a ratcheting open-end wrench which will not slip around a hexagonal nut or bolt regardless of how the turning force may be applied to the wrench handle by the operator.

A further objector myinvention is to provid Claims. (Cl. 81-111) jaws for an open-end. ratcheting wrench which will securely grip a hexagonal nut or bolt regardless of how the wrench may be inserted around the nut or bolt.

A further object of my invention is to provide a compound leverage open-end ratcheting wrench which will securely grip a hexagonal nut or bolt regardless of how the turning force may be applied to the wrench handle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a ratcheting open-end Wrench in which a notch of the pivoting jaw moves through an arc, the center of which is substantially on a line which passes through the point of contact of the notch and the center of the bolt or nut.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan of my improved wrench;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the jaws of mywrench shown in one gripping position;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but shows an alternate gripping position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail which illustrates the gripping action of my wrench when' the jaws are open to maximum position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail which shows the gripping action of my wrench when the jaws are open to maximum position but when the bolt head contacts an alternate set of notches;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged detail showing the ratcheting and gripping action of the jaws of my wrench;

Fig. '7 is an elevation of a wrench having jaws constructed in accordance with Figs. 1-6 butwith a compound leverage handle;

Fig. 8 is a plan of the structure of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the structure of Fig. 8 showing an arrangement of the jaws and handle; and

Fig. 10 illustrates the turning and gripping action of my wrench constructed with a compound handle.

While certain novel features of the invention are disclosed herein with considerable detail with respect to certain particular forms of the invention, it is not desired to be limited to such details since many changes and modifications may well be made without departurefrom the scope of. the invention. 7

Like reference numerals denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

An open-end ratcheting wrench constructedin accordance with the present invention is provided'with ahandle 15- having a notched jaw [6 at one end thereof, which'cooperates with a spanner-type notched jaw handle at pin l8.

Jaw I1 is urged in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 1 by spring l9 and is restrained from opening more than a maximum desired amount by face 2!] of handle [5 which acts as an abutment for a cooperating abutment 2| of jaw i1. One end of jaw 1 is bifurcated toform a pair of tabs 22 through which pin I8 is secured.

Both jaws l6 and I! are provided with beveled ends 23 and 24 to facilitate ratcheting and insertion of the jaws around the nut. Upper jaw 11 is desirably formed with three 120 broached notches whereas lower jaw 16 contains four similar broaches. It will be understood that the exi'! pivoted to the act number of broaches or notches in each jaw is not essential insofar as gripping, action is cone cerned particularly in the compound leverage form of Figs. 7-10. Nevertheless, experience has shown that in refrigeration work where the fittingsand tube nuts are. constructed of brass or other soft material and, due to high compression in the. lines, it is desirable to tighten these fittings considerably more than would otherwise be the case, the wrench should grip the nut in as many places as possible in order. to distribute the turn.- ing load thereby preventing the nut from becoming burred.

Another object in providing a maximum number of notches will become apparent in connection with the operation .of the wrench when the jaws are held open asv will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The ratcheting effect obtained with my wrench is illustrated in Fig. 6 which shows the jaws tight- 1y gripping a hexagonal bolt head in full lines and in phantom lines the jaws opened sufiiciently to permit the wrench toratchet in a counterclockwise direction, but at the same time to retain contact with at least one notch of each j 31W" S0 that the jaws will immediately close and grip the bolt tightly when the counterclockwise or ratcheting, motion ceases.

Lhave: found that the-location of pin l8: with respect to the notches inthe jawsbearsan important pivotal action forjaw ['1 with respect to jaw I6 is provided. when the outermost point 25 of jaw H is approximately in linewith the center of pin it and of bolt head 26. This construction provides anextremely tight gripping action when thejaws are closed even without the compound pressure which can be exerted by means of the construction shownin Figs 7' and 8.

Referring now to Figs. 4; and 5, the. utility; of the number and location or the notcheswith. respect to the pin 18- will. be explained. It will be apparent that. in Figs. 4 and 5 the jaws of the wrench areopened to maximum position since, faces 2| and 20 are in contact with each-other. If the operator exerts a twisting forcev on the wrench handle. 115- and attempts to turn. bolt 23 while jaws l6 and I! are in the open position, the: wrench nevertheless will grip the nut and-at the same time the turning action causes the: jaws to close on the nut as turning force continues to be applied. The upper arrowsin Figs; 4 and 5 indicate. the movement of jaw I! when any turning force in the direction of the lower arrow is applied to the handle. This feature insures that the wrench always'grips the bolt when'turned in a clockwise direction; as shown in these figures. This is-due-to the fact that jaws l6 and [1 cannotopen to a pointthat some contact is not made with both jaws, provided a turning forceis present. Furthermore, shouldthe force tending, to.

open the jaws be relieved, spring l9 tends to close the jaws on the bolt thus insuring contact between the notches and the corners of the bolt head.

The provision of more than two notches in the lower jaw is advantageous for this reason because otherwise there would be a strong tendency for slipping if the operator attempted; to turn the wrench with the jaws' in the. opened position. The location of pin I8 is such that any contact between the bolt and upper jaw I'I, while a turning, motion is exerted on the handle whether the jaws are. opened. or closed, automatically causes jaw IT to pivot. on. the pin l8 thus gripping the bolt securely.

The notches which I employ on the jaws of my wrench are of the well known double hex or 12 point"variety permitting gripping action of a hexagonal nut in two adjacent positions. The only difference between Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 is that the bolt is; shown in such adjacent positions, and the location of the notches to insure pivotal movement of jaw H in either of these positions is apparent. I have also found that it may be desirable to. slightly round or smooth the points between the notches in the jaws to facilitate ratcheting action and to prevent undue damage to objects of. brass or. other softmaterial.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 7 and 8 showing a modified form of my invention,,

wrench handle2l terminates in a bifurcated portion 28, which portion has rounded extremities 29, and a cut-away areaat 30 toreceive mating rounded extremities 3i of upperjaw 32. The handle, proper is drilled or recessed slightly between bifurcations to receive helical spring 33, which ispositioned between handle 21 and lower jaw 34.. Spring 33 v urges. lower jaw 34 pivotally on pin 35, and in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 8. Lower jaw 34'also has a recess 36 to receivehelical. spring 31 which abuts upper jaw 32 and urges it in -a counter-clockwise direction-with respectto lower jaw 34.. Upper jaw 32 has bi-- furcationsv 3&which. enclose the fiat areaof lower jaw 34'and also-serveto pivot upper jaw 32 with respect to lower jaw 34 on pin 39. Bothof the ticul-ar. importance. Referring to Fig. 8, it will be.-

noted that: there are in reality two sets of notches 40-, and a desirablelocation forthese'notches has been found'to besuch thattwo opposite flats: ofv

the bolt head M are perpendicular to the center 7 line ofthe wrench handle in. one gripping, position, and parallel tothe-center. line.- of the wrench in the;- other closed' or gripping position.

Frequently an operator will grip the wrenchhandlein such away that a twisting motion, is:

applied which tends; toopen jaws 32 and 34 in-' stead. of causing ear 29 to press against bifurcations- 31' as explained hereafter- Such twisting" motion creates a resultant torque at pin 35 as indicatedby the-arrow: in. Fig. 10. Even under the extreme conditionsnoted-above, the design of my wrench. prevents any undesired turning because" upper jaw 32 securely grips the bolt bymeans; of grooves-40 and lower jaw 34- has. a, partial groove 42 extending approximately half-way across the flatof bolt 41 thus. keeping both jaws incontact with the bolt.

As an additionalmeans-of urgingjaw against H bolt or nut,, springg3-1-similar-to spring t9 of Figs. 1-6 is provided which at all times tends to close jaws 32 and 34 with respect to each other. The clearance between jaws 32 and 34 is adjusted so that the jaws are open just wide enough to permit the wrench to be inserted over the bolt head across the greatest diameter of the hex which is, of course, the distance between opposite points of the hex, and in order to facilitate gripping, jaws 32 and 34 should not close more than is sufiicient to grip a slightl worn bolt or nut of the particular size for which the wrench is designed.

The clearance mentioned above limiting the opening of the jaws, is accomplished by proper spacing of face 43 on jaw 34 with relation to face 44 on jaw 32 so that when contact at point 45 is made between the two jaws, the opening specified above is achieved.

Handle 27 operates as a lever fulcrumed at pin 35 having a long portion extending from the pin to the end of the handle and a short portion which terminates at 29 and extends from point 35 to point 29. Likewise, any desired leverage may be incorporated with respect to jaw 32, fulcrum 39, and bifurcation 3|. The distance between the varying points of contact between portion 3| of jaw 32, portion 29 of handle 21, may be greater than, equal to, or less than the distance between fulcrum 39 and the point of application of the resultant of forces acting on the nut or bolt. Thus a positive, zero, or negative mechanical advantage may be obtained between the jaws as desired for the particular type of work for which the wrench may be constructed.

I have thus disclosed an improved type of ratchetin open-end wrench, which is fool-proof under the most adverse conditions of use. In addition, my improved wrench is easily manufactured, light-weight, strong, and has an extremely high gripping action due to the leverage in the handle and the design of the jaws.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A ratcheting open-end wrench having a fixed jaw, at least three 180 grooves on said fixed jaw, a pivoted jaw, a pivot pin attaching said pivoted jaw to said fixed jaw, at least three 120 grooves in the pivoted jaw, said pin being located with respect to the opposite outermost gripping portion of the pivoted jaw and the grooves on the fixed jaw so that there is at least one full groove in the fixed jaw lying between the pivoted jaw and a straight line connecting the center of the pin and the center of an object to be turned, thereby providing a toggle compressive grip on said object.

2. A ratcheting open-end wrench in accordance with claim 1, having spring means urge the pivoted jaw to close with respect to the fixed jaw.

3. A ratcheting open-end wrench having a fixed jaw, four grooves on said fixed jaw, a pivoted jaw, three 120 grooves in the pivoted jaw, a pivot pin attaching said pivoted jaw to said fixed jaw, said pin being located with respect to the opposite outermost gripping portion of the pivoted jaw and the grooves on the fixed jaws so that there is at least one full groove in the fixed jaw lying between the pivoted jaw and a straight line connecting the center of the pin and the center of an object to be turned, thereby providing a toggle compressive grip on said object.

4. A ratcheting open-end wrench in accordance with claim 3, having spring means urge the pivoted jaw to close with respect to the fixed jaw.

5. A wrench assembly comprising a pair of jaws pivoted with respect to each other, a spring between the jaws urging them into closed position, a handle on one of said jaws, three grooves in one of said jaws, said grooves having flat sides set an an angle of 120 and the middle groove positioned in the jaw so that a line drawn to bisect the middle groove angle will be perpendicular to the center line of the wrench handle when the jaws are in closed position, and four grooves in the other of said jaws having flat sides set at an angle of 120, the grooves in the other of said jaws being positioned so that a line drawn to bisect the outermost groove angle, when the jaws are in closed position, is perpendicular to the center line of the wrench handle.

GEORGE T. LOGAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,406,467 Ma-tthey Feb. 14, 1922 1,446,619 Edwards Feb. 27, 1923 1,626,809 Gillett May 3, 1927 1,627,035 John May 3, 1927 1,692,911 Vaughn Nov. 27, 1928 2,381,226 Parker Aug. 7, 1945 2,537,838 Logan Jan. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,530 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1900 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1909 114,330 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1926 279,622 Great Britain Nov. 3, 1927 

